Hunting Mule Deer Bucks

November 3, 2011 by Mia Anstine
Filed under Just Chillin'

There is an ever elusive trophy in the high country: the mule deer. It can take years in some areas to draw a tag, and additional years to finally catch up to one.

A mule deer has a beautiful gray coat with black markings on his forehead and a white face. They are a gorgeous animal with antlers that typically grow out and up branching toward the sky.

Mule deer hunting is a challenge to say the least. The animals live in various areas including above timberline in the Rocky Mountains to the sage plains. They have outstanding vision and can spot your movement at a mile away. They can smell you at further than 500 yards. If bagging a mule deer is on your list, you need to be prepared.

I generally offer spot and stalk mule deer hunts. The best way to locate the buck is with a spotting scope or binoculars. Make sure you have quality optics. Scan the oak brush and the tall grass for the white faces or the antlers. It is not often that you spot them right out in the open, but it can happen.

Having the time to scout your area prior to hunting season is ideal. Look for their tracks or a good game trail. Make sure there is heavy traffic so you are not hunting a barren area.

You may be glassing across rugged mountain valleys, rolling hills or through sage brush. Either way, you will generally have a stalk on your hands once you locate your buck. Mule deer tend to move in the evening, middle of the night and early morning hours, and they bed down during the day. Prepare to go to them, as they won’t come to you. Be in shape and have good quality shoes as well as durable gear that is quiet in the brush when walking or crawling.

When you make your stalk, go slow. Avoid sudden movement. Stick to trees and brush for concealment. A mule deer can not distinguish colors very well, but they can detect movement. Be sure to freeze behind the trees or brush when he is looking your direction. Always play the wind. Stay down wind so his keen nose does not alert him that you are getting near.

The most important tip for hunting a mule deer buck. Never quit. It can take years to finally catch him, but the hunt is very rewarding. Keep after them and eventually you will earn your prize.

Mia Anstine is owner of Wolf Creek Outfitters, Inc. offering hunts in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Read her blog at www.outfitterlife.wordpress.com.